Ooof. I outboarded, and I can't imagine doing a HowTo on it. The steam boiler just needs to be tilted back from what I recall, but I pulled my machine apart in the middle of the night. You essentially have to remove both sides, remove the top, the rear braces, pull out the control box at the bottom, disconnect the pump, (optional) remove the pump from the motor, cut the wires to the motor (or remove them from the control board). Once the motor is out, you need to make an umbilical from it back to the machine (I used an extension cord and had a male plug attached to the motor wires and a female plug wired to the main board). You'll also have to get the capacitor out of the control board box, and rewire that up appropriately.

It's not really that hard, but you'll have to sort of figure it out as you go. It's basically take it all apart, get the motor out, then put it all back together, then extend the pump wires.

Then the plumbing part comes in... Will have to find the appropriate fittings for the pump outlet up to the distribution block. Add to that custom making a bracket to hold the capacitor and the pump.

Outboarding the rotary pump on this machine seems to me to be a rather extreme solution to the noise and vibration problem, unless one had some other reason for doing this (e.g. the pressure modulation work Nicholas is doing). The new, longer hoses should be arriving in Seattle in the next month and I'd be surprised if the longer hoses don't get the problem down to where it is very manageable. The machine is never going to be totally silent, but I'd be surprised if it remains annoying in operation with the longer hose.

ken

I took mine out because no amount of fiddling with hoses and brackets made my machine remotely quiet, for any period of time. That, and I plan on doing a TMFR/gear setup if it proves to be fruitful.

My longer braided hose is in the mail. Hope it works!
Rob

If it was me I would buy a new standard motor and just remove the pump and hoses. That motor is a killer to get out, I did it once and it took a day.

Like Ken says it is rather extreme to outboard it.

Paul_Pratt wrote:If it was me I would buy a new standard motor and just remove the pump and hoses. That motor is a killer to get out, I did it once and it took a day.

Brilliant!!

Why didn't I think of this before?
In this way the machine can be made quiet, and the modification is easily reversible.

Thanks Paul

Jon, I might have a pump for sale on the cheap....

Seriously, though, Paul, I am surprised you say it took you that long. IIRC it was about 3 hours for me. I wouldn't argue that it's an extreme measure—it was a seriously fiddly, touch and go exercise that I wouldn't recommend to the non-mechanically inclined in the slightest; but I'm happier having it out of there. The machine is lighter, and there's more space in between the boilers, which left me extra room to properly insulate the steam boiler. Moreover, a new motor will cost you about $150 minimum here in the US (that's the best price I've seen, from Synesso—they sell a switchable 240/120VAC motor), so even if it did take you the better part of the day the effort is arguably worth it (unless you make well into the six figures at your day job, for example). Heck, I bet you could have it professionally removed for less than the cost of a new motor.

shadowfax wrote:Jon, I might have a pump for sale on the cheap....

I wouldn't need a pump, I'd need a spare motor (but that's probably what you meant)

shadowfax wrote:Heck, I bet you could have it professionally removed for less than the cost of a new motor.

Hard to imagine, even at my hourly rate just to take the machine to a service center and bring it back later. Sadly, the only place I know here in town leaves me less than confident and I would rather do it myself to ensure that the work meets my standards.

If I purchased a spare motor and some hardware and hoses then I could easily do the job in a couple of hours (tops). This would minimize my downtime and the modification is just as easily reversed.

Yes, I meant a motor.

JonR10 wrote:If I purchased a spare motor and some hardware and hoses then I could easily do the job in a couple of hours (tops). This would minimize my downtime and the modification is just as easily reversed.

Indeed, that 3 hours I mentioned above was just the part where I disconnected the boiler fittings, pulled out the brain box, decoupled the top of the steam boiler from the top frame brackets, and pulled the motor out. That doesn't include the re-wiring, hose 'extension,' etc. required for under-cabinet operation. So the full job is definitely not a modest afternoon job.

I defer to you on professional work estimates, though I'm particularly sure you're right about the proverbial "if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself" bit. Probably not very wise of me to speculate about the availability of professional help on this one.

shadowfax wrote:Jon, I might have a pump for sale on the cheap....

Moreover, a new motor will cost you about $150 minimum here in the US (that's the best price I've seen, from Synesso—they sell a switchable 240/120VAC motor), so even if it did take you the better part of the day the effort is arguably worth it (unless you make well into the six figures at your day job, for example).

With all your toys, we were thinking seven

ken